This man ate nothing but Costco’s $1.50 hot dog combo for a week and lived to tell the tale

A Midwest man is basking in the afterglow of a gloriously glizzy-filled week.

On Jan. 3, Cleveland, Ohio area content creator Joey Kinsley, known as Sir Yacht online, set out on an adventure that gave him viral fame, millions of views and an intense case of indigestion.

In a set of photos and videos posted on Instagram and TikTok, the 30-year-old told the story of how he ate Costco’s legendary $1.50 hot dog combo for every single meal for an entire week.

“For the next week I’m eating nothing but the Costco hot dog meal 🌭,” Kinsley wrote in an Instagram caption at the start of his journey. On his head sits a Costco-themed hat that reads “Bad day to be a hot dog” in the brand’s signature logotype. In his hand sits his first of many hot dogs, topped with ketchup, mustard and relish.

“This is meal 1/21,” he wrote.

Throughout the week, the creator documented the second, third, fifth and sixth days, visiting his local Costco three times each day.

“It’s day two out of seven so far and I’ve had nine glizzys and I’ve spent a total of $13.50,” Kinsley said in his first of three daily update videos. “My stomach is an absolute f---ing warzone right now. I’ll keep you guys posted if I survive the rest of the week.”

On day three, Kinsley said he’d spent $19.50 and that everybody he loves suggested he “go see a gastroenterologist immediately.” But he stressed that he “feels fantastic,” which must mean his body somehow acclimated to his processed-meat-only diet.

By day five, Kinsley had consumed 21 hot dogs and spent $31.50. In his final daily update video, he said he had to microwave six of them because he traveled out of town to watch the Browns play in Cincinnati. That’s commitment.

By the end of Kinsley’s adventure, he had consumed 29 hot dog meals for a grand total of $43.50, he said in a recap video.

“I also might have started a new diet trend on accident because I lost 4.2 pounds in seven days, or I have a giant tapeworm,” Kinsley said in his most popular video about the journey. “To my surprise, I never got sick of eating hot dogs once, despite my bowel movements resembling Willy Wonka’s chocolate river.”

Kinsley says he was delighted by the thousands of tickled-yet-concerned comments he received.

“The reaction I got online was really surprising. I figured some people would like it, but I didn’t go into it thinking would kind of turn into this,” Kinsley tells TODAY.com, adding that the reaction has been mostly positive.

“A lot of people have said that I’m a hero and I’m doing something by helping folks get around inflation,” he adds. “If risking your life for colon cancer makes you a hero, then so be it. I don’t think I’m a hero, though.”

Once he saw a concerning trend of commenters saying they would be trying this “diet” because he lost weight on it, Kinsley made sure to add a disclaimer: “Please note this is not diet advice. I do not recommend you do this. I also walked 10-15 miles a day, drank a gallon of water a day, and took some daily vitamins.”

What does an all-hot-dog diet do to the body?

“I am actually a fan of hot dogs, but they’re something that I consider to be a treat to be enjoyed once in a while,” Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, tells TODAY.com. “Eating hot dogs three times a day for a full week is quite a thing!”

Largeman-Roth says that each Costco hot dog with bun contains 570 calories, 12 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat, 80 milligrams of cholesterol, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of sugar, 24 grams of protein and 1750 milligrams of sodium, so eating that three times a day does a few things to an adult man like Kinsley.

“The calories would add up to 1710, which would be on the low side for an adult male in his 20s or 30s,” Largeman-Roth says. “This calorie deficit could certainly have caused him to lose about 4 pounds in a week.”

But Largeman-Roth urges folks ready to go on an all-hot-dog diet to pump the brakes.

“Before you run to your local Costco to load up on dogs, keep in mind that the sodium overload for three dogs a day is pretty significant,” she says. “It adds up to 5250 milligrams of sodium per day,” which is more than twice the daily recommended limit.

“Seeing that @siryacht appears to be a healthy and fit young man, eating this diet for a week probably won’t have much of a negative effect on him, but it could over time,” she adds. “And if someone with high blood pressure were to attempt this, it could definitely spike their blood pressure.”

Largeman-Roth also encourages folks to consider the potential long-term effects of consistently eating hot dogs, as eating processed meat has been linked to increased risk of colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

Now that Kinsley is off the dog, he says he’s doing fine — but he remains in awe of Costco’s hot dog combo, which has always stayed the same price.

“In 2024, a meal at $1.50? It’s unheard of.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com